


Something for Ourselves

by coolbreezemage



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Childhood Friends, Coping Mechanisms, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 03:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20885549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolbreezemage/pseuds/coolbreezemage
Summary: If the world is so determined to take everything from them, then Sylvain will be sure to take something for himself. But Dimitri will give until he has nothing left.-Sylvain attempts to get Dimitri a date, and it fails, again.





	Something for Ourselves

When Sylvain has finally chased off the girl who's latched onto Dimitri like a particularly difficult flea, he decides it's time to try again to get his friend a date, properly this time. He hadn't truly expected Dimitri would go through with their bargain in the first place. Though with how honest the man is, he shouldn't have been surprised. 

“C’mon, this is my thing,” he says, wheedling, tugging Dimitri's book from his hands. More tactics research - how dull. “I won't steer you wrong. Besides, you like getting my help.”

"I suppose I'll allow it,” Dimitri says, taking the book back and putting it neatly away on the shelf. “As long as it isn't like the time you decided to help me on a hunting trip and we ended up lost in the forest overnight during a rainstorm," he adds. "I recall Felix's father had some choice words about that when he finally found us."

Sylvain smirks. "By 'choice words' you mean he probably would have spanked us both if the King hadn't charged in with blankets and hot water bottles?"

"That was only because you tried to make up some wild story about what happened instead of admitting you got lost."

"If you hadn't interrupted me to be all _ honest_, it would have worked!" Sylvain leans back and sighs. "Your sneezing was cute, at least." And had distracted the King and Rodrigue both from any thoughts of punishment. 

"Thank you?" Dimitri says, in that puzzled way he does when he’s not sure if something was a compliment or not.

Sylvain only laughs. “Come on, let's get going. You'll like this place.”

A short while later, they arrive at one of Sylvain’s favorite haunts. It’s far enough away from the monastery that he’s never seen any professors drinking there, but close enough that it’s a simple matter to bring a girl back to his room afterward.

He leaves Dimitri at a table and goes off to order some drinks, scanning the room as he crosses to the bar. Yes, there are a number of beauties here tonight. Not that he’d be foolish enough to fall for any of them. That’s what Dimitri and the Professor don’t get about him. If the world is going to care for nothing more than his cock and his Crest, then he’ll play their game, but it’s going to be on his terms. 

He wastes a few minutes chatting up one of the barmaids, who replies with practiced lines he’s heard a hundred times before. By the time he’s done, some girl is already rubbing up on Dimitri, half in his lap, hand under his chin, kissing all over his face. Sylvain grins. So this had been a successful excursion after all. He saunters back with their drinks, planning the best line he can think of. 

And then he sees the expression on Dimitri's face and the way his hand is clenching the back of his chair tightly enough to raise splinters. And the general _ wrongness _ of the image strikes him in the gut. 

Sylvain marches up to the table, grabs the girl by the back of her no doubt very expensive dress, and hauls her out of her seat. 

"You're going to have to do better than that, sweetheart," he says. "Can't just go for the big prize right off the bat. You gotta work for it."

She curses at him and stalks off. Sylvain claims the chair, waits for Dimitri to catch his breath. He slides a glass of beer over to him, which he takes gratefully and gulps down like he's trying to get the taste of her lips out of his mouth. 

“You okay?”

Dimitri looks away. "Thank you, Sylvain," he says, quietly. "That was... unpleasant."

"Why didn't you push her away?" It's not like it would have been difficult. 

"I- I didn't want to hurt her."

Sylvain raises an eyebrow. "Is this about the strength thing? Because she probably deserves a bruise or two if she thinks it's okay to just go at you like that. Even I don't like that.” He frowns. “I am reading this right, right? You didn't invite her?"

"I did not. I merely... expressed interest in speaking with her."

"I thought so." Anger burns somewhere inside of him, at the girl for jumping on his friend without so much as a warning and at himself for ever thinking this was a good idea. 

He searches the room. The beauties are still there, hungry as ever, perhaps more so now that he’s proven Dimitri to be a difficult catch. 

"I didn't expect to attract so much… attention.” Dimitri brushes a hand through his untidy hair as if only just realizing it’s there. 

Sylvain smiles an empty smile. "Let me tell you a secret, Your Highness: it's not your face they're after. It's a good one, but it's not their goal."

Dimitri catches his meaning, or at least half of it, and looks incredulous. "You can't seriously imagine any of those women expect me to marry them? As harsh as it is, there are political considerations to be had…” 

Sylvain shrugs. For all he has seen and suffered, his prince seems remarkably naive at times. “Nah, they just want to say they got close to you.” He's not usually this blunt with Dimitri, that's more a thing he leaves for Felix, but after what just happened he thinks Dimitri can take it. "Some of them are hoping to get a baby with your Crest-" as if honest, responsible Dimitri would ever give them that chance "-but most of them just want to say they fucked royalty."

The small startled sound tells him everything he needs to know. Sylvain has always thought it a pity that Dimitri doesn't blush, or at least not that he's ever seen, but right now it's something of a relief. As much as he likes to see him flustered, he wasn't intending it to be for this reason. 

"So I see,” Dimitri says, the words sharp and disgusted. 

Sylvain leans back in his chair and plays casual. "Hey, I just thought you’d want to have some fun. If they're going to be throwing themselves at you, might as well make the most of it. You don’t need to be a man-whore like me.”

"I didn’t say you were,” Dimitri says, too quickly. 

"Yeah, but you're thinking it.” 

Dimitri shakes his head. "Sylvain..."

“Are you really not interested in any of these lovely ladies? We could go somewhere else.” What is it that's holding him back?

Dimitri studies the droplets on his glass. "I have more important considerations at the moment. Studying, training, our class missions..." There's something he isn't saying, but it is something that has preoccupied him for four long years, and Sylvain doesn't need to ask what it is. "When I am King..."

Sylvain rolls his eyes. "When you're King, do you really think the royal council is going to let you fool around? That's why you need to make the best of _ this _ time.”

"They will find me a suitable wife."

"And you're just going to accept that? Take whatever politically-acceptable girl they throw at you?" He’d always thought Dimitri had more guts than that. But he’s also always been the one of their friends most concerned with following the rules, with doing what’s _ right _. Whatever that means anymore. 

Dimitri’s eyes narrow. "I must. You know as well as any that our lives - and our marriages - are not our own."

That stings, and from the sudden guilt in his face, Dimitri knows it. “Sylvain, I'm sorry. I only meant-”

“It's all right. I know what you meant.” He's not angry with Dimitri, because it's only the truth, but he's lost his taste for this evening. He can see another girl eyeing them and he really doesn't feel like playing the game anymore. He sighs. “Let's go back.”

“You don’t have to. I can go back to the monastery on my own.”

He smiles, even though he doesn’t feel it. That’s something he knows how to do very well. “Nah, I’m not feeling it tonight. Besides, you need me with you to protect you if some other girl tries to eat your face off.”

“Sylvain!” But it’s enough, and as they step outside he can tell Dimitri is grateful to be out of the noise.

They run into Felix in the Academy courtyard. For a moment he looks honestly worried, and then he scowls. “Back so soon? What happened, did some girl kick you in the stones? Or is the boar too savage for polite company?”

Dimitri doesn't react to the insult. He never does, and it worries Sylvain every time. And it worries him to see his old friend Felix so sharp and bitter, but then, that’s hardly new. 

“I’m so glad to hear you’ve come around,” Sylvain says, brightly. “So what I do is considered polite company now?”

Felix glares. “With you, nothing is.” 

“Enough,” Dimitri says. “We have class tomorrow. You should make sure your assignments are in order.”

Felix huffs and Sylvain rolls his eyes. “Sure thing, Your Highness.”

Most days, Sylvain would argue a little more, see how far he could push Felix before he stormed off, but it doesn’t seem appealing tonight. So he sits on his empty bed and doesn’t read the book in his hands. All of them are tied down with too many bonds to count. Family and duty, honor and country. Strangers want to take everything they have, and the little family they have left expects them to give it. Maybe Felix is right to grow sharp, because this is all one horrible joke at their expense, and they can survive only by tearing it apart. But no matter what horrible mess their lives have become, Sylvain is determined to claim something from the rubble. And he’ll be certain his friends can too.

  


**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on a lengthy Dimitri/Ashe piece as well, but this came to mind and I had to write it.
> 
> Also, I imagine the forest misadventure went something like this:
> 
> Sylvain: we were kidnapped by pirates!  
Rodrigue: ...in the forest.  
Dimitri: *baby sneeze*  
Sylvain: look they killed dimitri.  
Rodrigue: there must be consequences for this sort of behavior!  
Lambert: blankets and hot chocolate!  
Rodrigue: but your majesty they disobeyed you  
Lambert: BLANKETS AND HOT CHOCOLATE


End file.
